Musings from California

Tag Archives: Dessert

For Jack’s birthday weekend I cooked up a storm of good grub, including an experimental vegan version of pecan pie. My man is from Oklahoma where pecan pies are a food staple, like milk, butter and bread. He knows and loves his pecan pie. I should have known starting out that my vegan version would be a disaster.

Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but it didn’t taste like the “traditional” pecan pie that folks from the South know and love. Jack took one bite and lifted an eyebrow at me, “This is a lot of things, but it is NOT pecan pie.” And then a 5-minute lecture ensued about what “pecan pie” is supposed to taste like.

Sigh. Okay.

Birthday pie (actually, it was more of a tart) was a no-go. It just sat on the counter looking lonely and dissed. I felt so bad for it and berated myself for calling it “pecan pie”, a loaded term if ever there was one. Augh! I should have called it something else, like “loony pie” and it would have at least been enjoyed for the delish freakishness that it was.

Fine. On to Plan B.

Well, after all that cooking (and subsequent rejection) I was not about to spend a minute more on birthday dessert than I had to. I was feeling a little deflated.

I opened the freezer door and stared inside it for a full minute hoping a coconut cake would magically appear. Not for Jack, but for me!

It didn’t.

Instead, I pulled out these frozen muffin top things that I had recently bought thinking we might try them out for an easy semi-healthy weeknight dessert. And then I pulled out a pint of vegan ice cream. (If you haven’t had Coconut Bliss’s Dark Chocolate, it’s awesome!)

Easy ice cream sandwiches would save the day. Jack jumped on it. Yay.

While I toasted up the muffin tops, Jack took the pint of ice cream and started sawing at it with a bread knife.

This was my first week back at school and I really wasn’t ready to go back.

Given my reluctance to return to the books I decided to end my first week back with a little treat: chocolate pudding.

But not just any old choco pudding, we’re rockin’ out with HEALTHY choco puddin’. It’s non-dairy, super high in potassium and completely GUILT-FREE! Yes, that’s right! Guilt. Free. And it’s ridiculously easy to whip up. How much more of a treat can you get?

1. In a food processor mix dates, agave nectar and vanilla. Add avocados and cacao and mix until everything is creamy and smooth.

2. Extra: I threw in half a banana to give a little banana-y taste and sliced the other half to go on top of my pudding. Sprinkle with nuts and you’re done!

*Some people make this recipe without dates and instead use 1/2-3/4 cup of agave. I, however, don’t like using that much agave and prefer to get the sweetness from natural dates instead. Experiment and see which way you like best.

Tapioca is a very popular and versatile ingredient for Vietnamese desserts. In my house it’s categorized as comfort food. I have the fondest memories of my grandmother making tapioca on cold winter nights. The addition of coconut milk gave off a deep, sweet aroma that filled the house. That comforting smell meant something delicious and creamy was coming. The texture is silky and smooth and tastes a little luxurious. And it’s just sweet enough to satisfy the inner child without sending me into a diabetic coma.